Hiding In Plain Sight
by happy29
Summary: Steve is watching Charlie for Danny and comes across something in his desk. No he wasn't snooping either. Really... he wasn't, but some things are just too tempting not to take a peek. Danny/ Steve pairing


Steve pushed the drawer to Danny's desk closed with a little too much force and the glass jar of rocks rattled off to the side. He quickly put his hand on top of it to keep it from sliding off the corner of the desk. Steve let out a relieved breath when he was able to catch it in time. Danny would never forgive him if he destroyed his collection of rocks or his grandmother's glass bowl. Steve sat back in the leather chair and worried his bottom lip. "Surely he has batteries somewhere in this place. His dad was a fireman for God's sake. Where the hell does he keep them?" He had already searched all the drawers in the kitchen and the small drawers in the hutch in the dining room and the even smaller drawers in the living room end tables. He had resorted to really invading Danny's privacy by looking in the drawers in the night stands beside his bed. Nothing. The only place left to search was Danny's desk.

Steve was watching Charlie while Danny attended a school meeting for Grace. They were halfway through a movie when the fire alarm decided to declare it needed a new battery. Steve ignored it for several minutes and then annoyance won out.

"Make it stop, Uncle Steve," Charlie whined as he held his hands over his ears. He was peering over the top of a couch pillow, impatiently waiting to get back to his movie.

Steve called out from the study, "Charlie, you don't know where you dad keeps the batteries do you?"

"Nope," came the innocent reply and Steve groaned. "I'm not allowed to touch them."

"Figures," Steve muttered under his breath. "Of course he couldn't keep the batteries in a common place like normal people."

Steve pulled open another drawer in Danny's desk. He pushed the checkbook and numerous envelopes to the side in search of the evasive 9 volt battery. He wasn't paying much attention to any of the envelopes but one in particular caught Steve's attention. In Danny's neat handwriting across a large manila envelope, were the words 'Paternity test~ Charlie'. The search for the battery was forgotten as Steve fingered the envelope and removed it from the drawer.

The news of Charlie's paternity was still an open wound for his partner, even several years after Rachel dropped the bombshell on him at the public park. Danny was still fighting with the emotions of having lost so much time of his son's life. Charlie had been sick and Rachel knew that Danny would be his lifeline. Some days it was still too much for Danny to wrap his head around Rachel's deceptiveness.

Steve sat back in the leather chair and stared at the envelope, letting his thoughts take him back three years. Danny had thrown himself into learning everything there was about Charlie's disease. When he wasn't immersed in work, he was doing research. And trying to make up for three years of lost time. It wasn't fair. Steve had felt his partner's pain, could see it in his eyes. It wore him down trying to mend the broken. After the bone marrow transplant and Charlie's release from the hospital, they decided to try and let him stay overnight with Danny. He had been a permanent fixture at the hospital during Charlie's recovery and they thought Charlie would be okay.

Charlie was hesitant to say the least of the new change in his life. He was young and didn't understand and who could blame him? How do you explain to a three year old that Daddy wasn't Daddy anymore?

Steve remembered helping Danny set up a room for Charlie, enlisting Gracie's help with her knowledge of all his favorite things. They had legos, stuffed turtles, cars of various sizes, lots of books. Danny had gone crazy in the toy department and Steve just smiled as he picked out a few things of his own for the small boy and placed them in the cart.

The first night Charlie stayed was an epic fail. He had been fine all afternoon playing with the new toys, Gracie never too far out of sight. Danny and Steve had plopped down on the floor with him when they pulled out the numerous boxes of legos in the living room and in a few hours had a small lego city built around the legs of the coffee table. He was fine through dinner, cleaning his plate with no objections to broccoli like Grace when she was little. Danny had smiled triumphantly when Charlie brushed his teeth and showed Danny how clean they were.

And then he tucked him into bed and turned out the light. The soft glow from the nightlight was not enough to put Charlie's fears to rest. The snuffling had started out quietly and Danny had asked him if he was okay. Then the tears started free flowing as Charlie hugged his blankie tight and said he wanted his mommy. Danny's heart broke and he realized this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Even Grace couldn't calm him down once the crying really began. Danny had tried for three hours to console his son who cried for another daddy. He finally had to admit defeat and call Rachel. It was close to midnight when he handed his still sobbing son over to his mother. All Rachel could do was offer an "I'm sorry."

Grace returned home with Danny and gave him a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. "We'll try again next weekend. Let's take him to the park tomorrow."

Danny had returned the hug and retreated to his room and cried himself to sleep. It wasn't fair.

When Steve showed up for breakfast, he was met with a sour attitude. Danny later apologized and asked if Steve wanted to go to the park. He answered with a kiss and a smile. "Only if you push me on the swing too."

They followed the same script for two months. Epic fail on Friday night, midnight drop off at Rachel's, Saturday and Sunday mornings spent at the park. Danny was beginning to think Charlie would never stay, would never believe that he was really his father.

Then one day it slipped. Danny tucked Charlie in, kissed his forehead, told him Gracie was in her room across the hall and he was one room over, he clicked off the light, said good night, took a deep breath, leaned against the hallway wall and waited for the tears to start flowing.

"Good night, Daddy," Charlie's soft voice drowned out all the other noises in the house. Danny blinked and stepped back into the room.

"What did you say?" Danny didn't trust his ears. His heart was beating so fast and loud in his chest he had to hear it again to be sure.

"I said goodnight, Daddy."

Danny crossed the room in two strides and hugged Charlie tight. He kissed his forehead and tried to stop his own tears.

"Will you make pancakes for breakfast?"

"ANything you want, buddy. Anything you want."

"Pancakes. Gracie said yours are the best, but I have to stay to get them."

Danny was beside himself with joy. Gracie had broken through Charlie's fears with pancakes.

Charlie looked up at his father and tried to smile through a yawn. Danny tucked the covers in around him once again, making sure the turtle was tucked in securely as well. Danny sat on the edge of the bed as Charlie drifted off to sleep in his home for the first time. He sat there for hours watching Charlie sleep. He messaged Steve and told him the good news. Steve had shown up in fifteen minutes of the message and celebrated the win with Danny. Hugging and kissing and brewing a pot of coffee so Danny could stay up to watch his son sleep.

A lot has changed in those three years. There were still a few nights after that first win that Charlie went home early, but Danny took those in stride. They were making progress and that was all he cared about.

The shrill beeping brought Steve back to the present and the need to find a replacement battery for the obnoxious fire alarm.

"Yo! What's with the noise?" Danny hollered above the shrill beep. Charlie ran across the living room and jumped into his father's outstretched arms.

"Daddy, we need a battery to make it stop." Charlie covered his ears again and buried his head in Danny's shoulder.

Steve stuffed the envelope back in the drawer and closed it quickly as Danny came around the corner into his study. "I wasn't snooping. Honest. I was looking for a battery." Steve pointed towards the offensive alarm. "For the alarm. I need a 9 volt. Where do you keep them?"

"I don't have anything to hide, babe. Did you look in the bathroom cabinet?"

Steve made a face. "That would be a negative." He shook his head bewildered. "Why do you keep them in the bathroom cabinet?"

Danny opened his mouth to respond and Steve held up a hand to silence him.

"It's your house. You keep them where you want."

"There's also some in the hall closet and the garage," Danny said as he walked over and kissed Steve before handing off Charlie to his boyfriend. "I'll go get one."

"Thank you," Steve replied as Charlie got comfy on his lap. "Now we can get back to our movie."

A few moments later Danny had the battery replaced and the house was silent again.

"Thank you," Steve smiled warmly from the couch as Charlie snuggled into his side.

"Come on, Uncle Steve, please." The little boy shoved the remote into Steve's hand and gestured like his father to hit the appropriate buttons to resume their movie.

Steve couldn't help but chuckle. "He's just like you, Danno."

"Impatient?" Danny offered.

Steve thought about it for a split second. "Yeah that works too. I was thinking more along the lines of ' _talks with his hands_ '.

Danny rolled his eyes. "I don't always talk with my hands."

"Says the guy who currently has his hands tucked into his back pockets to make it appear that he doesn't talk with his hands. You realize when you do that, you just end up talking with your whole body, right?"

"Whatever." Danny muttered as he walked over to the couch. "Scooch over and make room."

"Where's Grace?" Steve asked suddenly aware the teenager had not returned with her father.

"She went home with Rachel. They are going shopping in the morning."

"Danno…" Charlie whined still waiting for his movie to resume.

Danny snatched the remote from Steve's fingers and hit play. "Sorry, buddy."

Charlie clapped when the movie began again and tuned out his dad and uncle.

"You get everything taken care of for Gracie at the school?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, she is all set up for the cheer squad again." Danny leaned forward on the couch and glanced at Charlie who was completely engrossed again in the movie. "So," Danny sat back and whispered. "What were you looking at when I came in?"

"What?" Steve stalled knowing he had been busted. "I wasn't snooping I swear. I really was looking for a battery."

"Charlie," Danny leaned forward and touched his son's arm to get his attention. "Uncle Steve and I are going to get a cup of coffee in the kitchen. We will pop you some popcorn. Okay?"

Charlie's eyes lit up at the mention of popcorn. "Yummy!" he squealed.

"Be right back, kiddo." Steve leaned over and kissed the blond boy's forehead before following Danny to the kitchen.

Danny had pulled two coffee cups from the cupboard and turned to face Steve. "Would you rather have a beer?"

"Coffee's fine." Steve pulled open the snack cupboard and grabbed a bag of microwave popcorn as Danny started a pot of coffee.

"So, that wasn't a battery you were holding," Danny finally broke the silence as he turned and leaned against the counter.

"No. It was uh, Charlie's paternity test results."

Danny remained quiet.

"I'm sorry. I was looking for the battery and I came across the envelope and it just brought up all these memories from a few years ago. You love that little boy so much."

Danny blew out a long breath as he remembered sitting on that park bench as Rachel broke the news to him about Charlie. As if the news of the boy's paternity wasn't enough of shock to Danny's fragile system, he also had to hear that Charlie was sick and would likely die if they didn't find a bone marrow donor soon. It was a double whammy and he not only felt blindsided but also completely stupid. Of course Charlie was his. Of course Rachel had lied to him, again. All those feelings that he had felt when Rachel told him she was pregnant had to be capped off and shut down had suddenly exploded in his chest.

"It's okay. That was a bit of a whirlwind for me." Danny shoved his hands in his front pockets. "What's that expression people use? So much to do, so little time? I've been trying to figure out how to make up for three years of lost time and in three years, I still haven't done that. Figured it out, you know?"

"Maybe trying to make up for lost time isn't the answer."

"What do you mean?"

"You're never going to see his first steps, you're never going to hear his first words, watch him roll over or crawl for the first time, sleep through the night…":

"You're really not helping, you know."

"What I'm saying is don't keep dwelling on the lost time. Concentrate on new memories, new firsts that you can share with him. He still doesn't know how to ride a bike, you can teach him. Take him to his first major league baseball game and by him, I mean _me too_." Steve grinned shamelessly and Danny couldn't help but laugh as he pulled Steve towards him and planted his forehead into Steve's muscular chest, breathing in his scent.

"I love you, you know that?"

Steve wrapped his arms around Danny and dropped a kiss to the top of his perfect mane. "I love you too, babe."

Danny tipped his head back and met Steve half way for a proper kiss. "Thank you, for tonight and the last three years."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Danno."

"Neither would I… _neither would I._ " Danny kissed Steve again as the microwave beeped. "I couldn't have made it through any of that without you."

"Daddy!" Charlie bellowed from the living room.

Danny smiled wide. He didn't need Charlie's first three years. He had today and all of Charlie's tomorrow's.


End file.
